Fremont Dinosaurs

 

2/12/22 Topiary dinosaurs near the Fremont Cut

Saturday dawned with a cloudless sky that was forecast to remain all day. Thinking about where I wanted to sketch on that rare, sunny day, Fremont came to mind. The last time I had sketched in the Center of the Universe was during a cloudy June USk outing back in 2019. I was well overdue for a sketch visit.

Miraculously on a Saturday afternoon in that busy neighborhood, I found a parking spot not too far from the famous topiary dinosaurs. I had sketched them previously back in 2014 from the other side of Canal Street so that I could see both the mama and her baby. This time I stood in Google’s empty parking lot, where I could see most of the baby and its mama’s long neck and body. Walkers, runners and bike riders went by in a constant stream on the Burke-Gilman Trail alongside the Fremont Cut. I sensed that everyone was rejoicing a sunny weekend afternoon in February.

Although my weather app said it was 55 degrees, the harsh wind from the Lake Washington Ship Canal made it feel a lot colder to me. Still, it was wonderful to sketch under a clear blue sky that made me optimistic: Could spring be around the corner?

Sunny Fremont

5/30/14 Platinum Carbon and Diamine Grey inks, water-soluble colored pencil, watercolor, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Those long months of rain and gloom all winter and most of spring suddenly become worth wading through on a day like today: temperatures in the high 60s, sunshine and a clear blue sky! And just as suddenly, I realized I hadn’t sketched in Fremont since last August (well, except when the Friday sketchers met at the Fremont Coffee Company). It was time!

My first stop was the topiary dinosaurs, which I have been meaning to sketch ever since I saw the Seattle Sketcher’s sketch of them a couple of years ago. Rescued from destruction after a Pacific Science Center exhibit, the dinosaurs were put in Fremont, where the ivy covering them has been growing slowly since the late 1990s. When Gabi sketched them in October 2012, a large part of the mama dinosaur’s head and neck framework was still exposed. Today I could see the exposed framework (and eyeballs) only near her face – she’s nearly covered at last. In fact, her baby looks like he could use a haircut – his head is looking a bit shaggy.

5/30/14 Platinum Carbon and Diamine Grey inks, watercolor, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

After I finished the dinosaurs, I walked a short distance along the Lake Washington Ship Canal to the Fremont Bridge (which I had sketched last year). I actually walked back and forth a couple of times, trying to find a good view of both the bridge and the canal, but it’s hard to see past all the tall poplars growing along the shoreline. I settled for a partial view of the Aurora Bridge (blocked by the base of a power line tower similar to the one visible in the background of the dinosaur sketch). Just as I was sketching, the bright blue Fremont Bridge opened and came up – so half of it made it into my sketch after all.

Iconic in Fremont

6/24/22 J.P. Patches and Gertrude (sculptor: Kevin Pettelle), Fremont neighborhood

As many times as I have sketched in the Fremont neighborhood, I’m still always torn when I visit. On the one hand, Fremont is full of so many beloved icons (the Troll, the Fremont Bridge, the topiary dinosaurs, to name just a few favorites that I’ve sketched multiple times) that I never tire of sketching. But I also feel like I should branch out once in a while and sketch something less iconic or at least previously unsketched. Last Friday with USk Seattle, I couldn’t resist three icons, but at least I attempted one new subject.

The Saturn Building

First up was the sculpture of J.P. Patches and Gertrude, which I had not sketched since 2012, so I felt that a second sketch was long overdue. Since I had initially sketched it from J.P.’s side, this time I went around and took on Gertrude’s side. Probably only natives and long-time locals are familiar with J.P. as the host of a live-broadcast children’s TV program back in the ‘60s. Gertrude, J.P.’s sidekick and “girlfriend,” was actually a man. (Who knew that a man in drag would host a children’s TV show? Quite progressive for the ‘60s, even in Seattle!)

A water tower I hadn't sketched before

As we both sketched the sculpture, I discovered that Paul is also a Seattle native, so we chatted about all the local children’s TV shows we had grown up with. He went to high school with Stan Boreson’s son! I have had no such brush with fame, although my Brownies troop did appear on J.P.’s show once.

Feeling happy and nostalgic, I made a couple of quick thumbnail studies for my 30-day challenge: the Saturn Building, which I had sketched only last month, and a water tower visible from the J.P. sculpture, which I had not sketched before. There – something previously unsketched and less iconic!

6/24/22 Statue of Lenin

The meetup location was the statue of Lenin, which I have sketched several times. Although I wasn’t planning to sketch him again, I had about 15 minutes to kill before the throwdown – just enough time for a small portrait.

So the icons won again. It’s a losing battle in Fremont.

Just for fun, I’ve included below my first sketches of J.P. (from 2012) and Lenin (from 2013).

4/17/13 My first sketch of Lenin

8/9/12 My first sketch of J.P. and Gertrude

My childhood hero, J.P.

This Time, Lenin and the Bridge

 

5/23/26 Fremont Bridge and Lake Washington Ship Canal, Fremont neighborhood

Sketching in the Fremont neighborhood is always a game of “choose your icon.” The Troll, JP Patches & Gertrude, Lenin, Saturn, the Rocket (bonus points if you can get both Saturn and the Rocket in the same composition), the Fremont Bridge, the topiary dinosaurs – did I miss any? USk Seattle hit them all last Saturday on a cloudy afternoon.

Although I’ve sketched all of them multiple times, I picked an icon that I may not have sketched as often. It was breezy and chilly by the Lake Washington Ship Canal, but I wanted to start with a peek-a-boo view of the brilliantly blue Fremont Bridge.

After walking around Fremont for a while to warm up, I ended up at the statue of Lenin, where several other sketchers were already settled in at the former Soviet Union leader’s feet. Always a bit daunted by the formidable monument, I walked across the street for a more distant view. I chose a purple and green palette that would contrast strongly with Lenin’s red hand.

In fact, the red hand was just what I needed to fill the short time remaining until our throwdown, when the sun finally came out.

Statue of Lenin

Rear Views of the Center of the Universe

 

8/15/26 Lake Washington Ship Canal path, Fremont neighborhood

Lenin from the rear

Fremont, AKA the Center of the Universe, is one of my favorite sketching neighborhoods, and I was happy to be back there with USk Seattle. Although I’ve sketched the (in)famous statue of Lenin many times (and I’m sure other long-time sketchers have, too), I never seem to tire of his strong angles and challenging lighting from all the trees around him. This time I tried a fresh perspective – from the rear (at right).

After that, I took a long walk around Fremont to look for my next sketch and to soak in the happy Saturday-afternoon summer vibe. I found myself on the Lake Washington Ship Canal walking/biking path, where I stopped to see how the topiary dinosaurs (which I’ve sketched several times) were doing. Some years, they have looked shaggy or somewhat bald, but they were looking good last weekend. With temps in the mid-70s by then, I walked all around them to find a view that I could sketch in shade (top of post). Coincidentally, the only shady view was again from the rear. Unrecognizable in my sketch, the mama dinosaur’s rear end is on the far left.

Thumbnail to try out the square composition

The more inviting view was of the shadow pattern crossing the Ship Canal path, a power tower and the Aurora Bridge in the distance.

Material note: Lacking a fine-tip marker, I used a Pentel Sign brush pen to draw the relatively fine lines of the power tower in the color sketch – as well as the people, the dry-brushed border and to write the caption. The more I use it, the more I love this brush pen’s wide tip range and versatility (though I do curse its nonrefillable, disposable form factor).

Rocket, But No Saturn

5/27/16 brush pen, inks, colored pencils, watercolor

Despite last night’s downpour and the early morning’s drizzle, Urban Sketchers Seattle’s outing to the Fremont neighborhood stayed dry and downright pleasant! After our initial meetup in front of Lenin’s statue, I didn’t have to go very far for my first sketch: the tiny Kwanjai Thai Cuisine on North 36^th Street. You’ll probably guess that it wasn’t the café, as cute as it is, that caught my eye – it was those humongous high-tension power line towers behind it. It’s hard to sketch in Fremont without capturing at least a glimpse of them.

By now I’ve sketched many things Fremont is known for – the topiary dinosaurs, the infamous statue of Lenin, the Solstice Parade’s nude bicyclists – but one I hadn’t yet checked off my list is the Rocket, and another is the planet Saturn atop its namesake building across the street. I circled the block twice, often walking backwards, trying to find a way to get both the Rocket and Saturn in the same sketch. Somehow there was always a tree, a building or just a clumsy composition keeping me from what I wanted. I finally settled on the Rocket alone, but I know there must be an angle I missed. Next time I’ll catch them both.

5/27/16 ink, watercolor

We had a great turnout on this weather-iffy day, including four sketchers joining us for the first time!